Window-shade adjuster.



F. LEEPER.

WINDOW SHADE ADJUSTER. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12. 1916.

Patented July 11, 1916.

zm m ii h FRANK LEEPER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

WINDOW-SHADE, ADJUSTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 1916.

Application filed January 12, 191G. Serial No. 71,679.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK LEEPER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented anew and useful Window-Shade Adjuster, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for adjusting the height of window shade rollers, so as to shade any desired part of the window.

The main object of the invention is to provide improved means for this purpose which will be simple and cheap in construction, and convenient, effective and durable in operation.

Another object of the invention is to dispense with any guiding rods or like means,

attached to the outside of the window casing.

The accompanying drawing illustrates embodiments of my invention, and referrlng thereto:

Figure 1 is a. front elevation of a wlndow casing with my shade adjuster mounted thereon. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the form shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the operating means for the shade adjuster. Fig. 5 is a partial front elevation of another form of the invention. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line 66 in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a partial front elevation of another form of the invention. Fig. 8 is avertical section thereof, and Fig. 9- is an elevation of the upper pulley meanstherefor. Fig. 10 is a vertical section of another form of the operating means for the shade ad uster.

In Figs. 1 to 3, 1 indicates a wmdow casing and 2 a shade roller mounted thereon. Said roller is carried by a wire cable or flexible member 3, which is mounted on pulleys attached to the casing 1. Two pulleys 5 and 5 are rotatably mounted in bearings 6 6, at the lower part of the window casing on opposite sides of the window, in such manner that their axes of rotation are parallelto the front of the window casing. At the top of the window casing and at opposite sides thereof, are provided two pulley fixtures 8 and 8', each provided with two pulleys 10 and 11, or 10 and 11, the shafts 12 and 12 of the pulleys in the respective fixtures 8 and 8, extending at right angles to the front of the window casing. The cable or flexible member 3 is attached at its ends to two oppositely extending springs connected to an operating member. In the form shown in Fig. 4, this operating member consists of a securing member 19, provided with eyes 17 and 18, and the flexible member or cable 3 is attached at its ends to the oppositely extending springs 15 and 16,

which are connected respectively to the eyes 17 and 18 011 said securing member19 of the operating member. To conceal these springs and provide a more effective hand-hold,

sleeves 20 and 21 may be provided, screwing on the securing member 19 and extending over the springs 15 and 16. Or, as shown in Fig. 10, the operating member may be split longitudinally, the two parts 19 thereof embracing two springs formed of a single .w1re 15 which is gripped at its central por- 'tlon by a securing member consistmg of web portions 20 on members 19, clamped together by screw 21.

The cable 3 extends from the operating member down under pulley 5, thence upand --over the front pulley 10 in one of the top fixtures, then diagonally across and over the rear pulley 11 of the fixture at the other side of the window, then down and under the other bottom pulley 5' and up over the front pulley 10 of the fixture 8, then diagonally across (crossing the part of the cable between pulleys 10 and 11) to the rear pulley 11 of the fixture 8, then down to the connection to the operating member 19. The shade roller is attached at opposite ends to the respective front portions or runs of the cable, between the pulley 5 and the pulley 10 and between the pulley 5 and the pulley 10. Any suitable means of attachment of the shade roller to the cable may be used, but I prefer to use the means shown, comprising a plate 24 attached to the bearing member 25 at the end of the roller, said plate being bent outwardly and then vertically, and beto which it may be moved. height of the shade the operating member 19 is moved up or down as the case may be, the

arrangement of the cable, with the cross 3, by slipping the cable through the perforations 26, and will be retained in any position over, as described, causing the two front runs of the cable, to which the shade roller is attached, to move up or down in unison, thereby always keeping the shade level. The two oppositely extending springs and 16 serve to always keep all parts of the cable under tension sufficient to insure their proper running on the pulleys. It will be noted that these two oppositely extending springs 15 and 16 are interposed betweenv each end of the operating member 20 or 21 so that, in whichever direction the operating member is moved there-will be a spring in advance thereof and a spring in rear thereof. The fact that the operating member is connected to a cable at the-rear thereof through the spring at the rear of the operating member, enables said operating member to be moved through an appreciable distance before the cable begins to move, withtheresult that in this movement of the operating member, the

, [spring in advance'of the operating member is shortened and put under, less tension,

thereby diminishing the pull on that end of the cable and enabling'the cable to' be moved forward-by the increased pull on the other spring. It may be stated that, in shade adfound that it is diflicult to operate the shade,

by an operating member connected to the cableat the rear of the spring, although the shade may be readilyoperated in the opposite direction. The reason for this is, apparently, that when the operating member is moved in such direction that its connectionto the cable is in the rear of the spring, its movement is resisted by the friction of the pulleys, etc.,'to such an extent that a certain definite force has to be applied to it before any appreciable movement takes place and during this time the spring is exerting its full tension on the other end of. the cable and resisting the movement of the cable, but

by mounting theoperating member in such manner that there will be a spring in advance thereof and another spring in rear thereof, the spring in rear of the operating memberpermits sufficient movement of the operating member (before there is any movement of the cable) to relax or weaken the To adjust the being secured to the vertical runs of the cable spring in advance of the operating member, so that the back pull on the cable is reduced, which enables the cable to be moved with less force than if it were operating against the full tension of a single or whole spring.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the fixtures for supporting the cord may be mounted on the inner faces of the window casing, so that the shade roller travels within the window frame. At each side of the window casing a top fitting 28 provided with two pulleys 30 and 31, and a bottom fitting 32 provided with a pulley 33 are mounted in suitable manner to support the cable 3, which is provided with operating means 19 and is arranged as above described so as to support and operate the shade roller 2 in like manner to the form shown in Figs. 1 to 4. The top fittings 28 are mounted at the inside upper corners of the window frame and the pulleys 30 and 31 are mounted on a single shaft in each fitting, said shaft extending horizontally at right angles to the plane of the window frame. The lower fittings 32 are mounted on the inside faces of the window frame at each side thereof in such manner that the shafts of the pulleys thereof extend horizontally and parallel to the plane of the .window frame and the cable 3 running over these pulleys extends in both vertical runs, as. well as in the horizontal runs thereof, close to the inner faces of the window frame so that it is not in the way of the window sashes.

As shown in Figs. 7 to 9, the roller. carrying means may be concealed or housed with in the window casing, which is provided at each side with a vertical channel 36, within which the cable 3 travels. The top fixtures 37 may in this case be arranged as shown in Fig. 9, so that the pulleys L0 and 41 therein are offset vertically and horizontally so that the different runs of the cable will not interfere with one another, and the lower fixture 4:4: at each side is arranged so that the pulley 45 therein turns in a plane parallel to the front of the window casing, the several runsof the cable in this case all being in substantially the same plane and the shade roller 2 which are nearer thewindow opening, the upper runs of the cable being crossed so that the shade ends will be moved in unison by operation of the operating member 46. Said operating member consists of a plate connected to the ends of the cable 3 by two oppositely extending springs 15 and 16 and provided with extensions 48 and 49, adapted to engage the walls of channel 36 to guide the operating member; and said operating member is provided with an arm 50 extending through a slot 51 in the front of the window casing, and provided with a handle or I manual operating means. The shade roller 2 is mounted on the cable 3 by a plate or fitting 53 at each end thereof, adapted to engage the cable 3 and provided with an arm 54 on which the shade roller is mounted to turn.

What I claim is:

1. In a window shade adjuster, the combination, with pulleys adapted for attachment to a window frame and with a flexible cable provided with means for supporting a window shade, said cable being mounted on said pulleys to adjustably support the shade, of an operating member, and two oppositely extending springs connecting each end of said cable to said operating member to enable the spring tension on'the end of the cable in advance of the operating member in either direction of movement to be reduced by the movement of the operating member in elongating the spring at rear of the operating member.

2. Means for operating the flexible cable of a window shade adJuSter comprising two oppositely extending springs, each spring being secured to one end of the adjusting cable, and an operating member providing a common base for said oppositely extending springs.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at Los Angeles, California, this 7th day of January 1916.

FRANK LEEPER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

